Gold Award Spotlight

Gold Award Spotlight

Tackling the Issue of Religious Inequality

Kayla D., Troop 9517

While I used to despise being woken up early Sunday mornings to attend church as a child, I am now able to appreciate what I gained from being immersed in a religious community. I was taught the lessons of withholding judgement and offering help when possible, which continued to be perpetuated during my career as a Girl Scout. However, the most important message I absorbed was that no one was superior to anyone else; that everyone was equal in the eyes of God.

Thus, the advent of alarming polarization in America after the 2016 presidential election, particularly with religion, caused me a great cognitive dissonance. It was especially difficult to see the divisiveness among my peers due to their beliefs, even at the most diverse high school in the country. This trend extended into my community in West Philadelphia and was reinforced by nearly every media source.

So, I aimed to discourage the frequency of discrimination through my Girl Scout Gold Award. I began by implementing a club at my school to raise awareness for the issue plaguing people my age. With diversity in race and ethnicity comes religious diversity as well. Tension was imminent, and the large population of students who had immigrated to America or personally experienced discrimination need a safe space and a plan for equality.

As president of the Religious Equality Club, I met with a group of about fifteen students every Monday during the 2017-18 school year, when I was a sophomore, with the hopes of ascertaining sentiments towards the election’s impacts. Each meeting, I had planned out a series of questions to facilitate our discussion, focusing on current events about religion. Although not as prevalent in Philadelphia, there is a general trend nationally showing an increase in hate crimes motivated by religious bias. As a result, there was a prevalence of fear among religious communities, a topic my church pastors often led prayer for. It was heartwarming to know that I was not alone in my concern.

This feedback inspired me to send a positive message to unify people with national identity, to stir hope for the future. As I wanted to reach a broad audience, my main source of outreach was through an art installation in Philadelphia. In an effort to promote peace and acceptance of immigrants, I deemed my masterpiece the “Peace Pole.” To construct the eight-foot-tall sculpture located in front of Overbrook Presbyterian Church that reads “May there be peace on Earth” in eight languages including English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic, I collaborated with Moore College of Art and Design. Simultaneously, I raised money for the project by volunteering to rake leaves around my neighborhood. Finally, we were able to build and install the pole in June of 2018, where it would be seen by people entering or walking by the church on City Line Avenue.

In retrospect, I feel as though the Peace Pole has impacted the community in a positive way. It gives anyone who passes it an opportunity to reflect on how they are being treated and treating others. While I made a public difference, I saw the biggest transformation within myself. Through my Gold Award project, I became a 17 year-old active global citizen and matured by working with adults within relevant organizations. One of the greatest skills I acquired was learning how to be a leader within my club, which I was able to bring back to my Girl Scout troop. The Girl Scout Gold Award encouraged and allowed me to help an issue I care about while growing into the leader I always knew I could be!

Discover how to earn the Gold Award! Visit www.gsep.org/gold-award.